If there’s a silver lining to the Oilers' win-one-lose-one season, it’s that now — in the second week of January — playoffs are still part of the discussion.

Oilers on pace for 85 points at halfway mark of the season

CBC News · Posted: Jan 10, 2019 2:51 PM MT | Last Updated: January 10

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot gets ready to make a save during practice at Rogers Place Thursday. (Min Dhariwal )

If there's a silver lining to the Oilers' win-one-lose-one season, it's that now — in the second week of January — playoffs are still part of the discussion.

Unlike too many painful seasons of the past, where playoff talk was over before Christmas, this year's Jekyll and Hyde squad is still in the mix.

"It's weird how it's been, a lot of ups and downs, but we have to find some consistency here and make a push," says Connor McDavid. "We're three points out, sitting with half a season left, we get to decide how it's going to go here."

Hear from Captain Connor about the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a> facing Florida tonight as they return to <a href="https://twitter.com/RogersPlace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogersPlace</a> for a stretch of 6 of 7 at home before the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLAllStar</a> break. <a href="https://t.co/8PRwYVJE4B">pic.twitter.com/8PRwYVJE4B</a>

"We've been a streaky team this year," Talbot said. "If we can get some traction going here at home, especially on this home stand, and make this a tough place to play, then that has to be a focal point for us.

"I've got to go out there and do a better job of coming up with some bigger saves sometimes."

'We're right in the hunt'

The team plays six of the next seven games on home ice. Four of those teams are from the East Coast and two — Vancouver and Calgary — are teams the Oilers are chasing.

"I'm just enjoying the ride to be honest with you," coach Ken Hitchcock said after the morning skate. "We're in a dogfight with everybody. We knew that going in, but we're in the dogfight."

The team caught fire after Hitchcock took over going 8-2-1, but that magic has fizzled.

It's something the 66-year-old coach feels his young team can recapture.

"Man, we're 40-something games in and we're right in the hunt, it's a great time," Hitchcock said.

"I told the players that today we're put ourselves in a spot where we're in control of things. We don't need help, but we're going to have to really have to play because we're playing teams who are in the same spots and it's going to be a battle, a battle to the end."

'Not good enough'

No doubt, Edmonton is in tough.

Coach Hitchcock discusses the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a> pre-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLAllStar</a> schedule as they look to "make hay at home" over the next two weeks. <a href="https://t.co/QNB38Q0fAc">https://t.co/QNB38Q0fAc</a>